This dataset is a mosaicked product of all publicly available bathymetry data within the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The data package consists of 8x bathymetry mosaics (and associated bathymetry derivatives: hillshade, slope, aspect) for each of the 8x Parks Australia Management Effectiveness Ecosystem Component depth zones ("Ecosystem Zones"). The grid resolution of the mosaics has been guided by the depth gridding recommendations of the AusSeabed Australian Multibeam Guidelines (2020) to produce the following mosaics:
• shallow zone (0-30m): 10m resolution
• mesophotic zone (30-70m): 10m resolution
• rariphotic zone (70-200m): 10m resolution
• upper-slope zone (200-700m): 32m resolution
• mid-slope zone (700-2,000m): 64m resolution
• lower-slope zone (2,000-4,000m): 128m resolution
• abyss zone (4,000-6,000m): 210m resolution
• hadal zone (>6,000m): 210m resolution
A systematic prioritisation approach was used to preferentially use newer, high-resolution, and cleaner bathymetry inputs from remote sensing (multibeam, singlebeam, satellite, seismic etc), with Digital Elevation Models (DEM) used as foundational data in regions where survey data was not available. This approach optimised spatial resolution by preserving higher resolutions in shallower waters as supported by the data, while also ensuring the output datasets remain manageable for downstream applications. The result is suite of depth-stratified bathymetry mosaics and associated derivatives that provide full coverage of Australia's marine estate (clipped to the boundaries of the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)). All publicly available bathymetry data as at July 2024 for was included.
Data can be visualised and used in GIS packages as maps of hillshaded bathymetry and hillshaded slope at the following WMS endpoints:
• bathymetry: https://geoserver.imas.utas.edu.au/geoserver/bathy_composites/AusEEZ_bathy_composite_multires/wms?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS
• hillshade: https://geoserver.imas.utas.edu.au/geoserver/bathy_composites/AusEEZ_bathy_hillshade_composite_multires/wms?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS
• slope: https://geoserver.imas.utas.edu.au/geoserver/bathy_composites/AusEEZ_bathy_slope_composite_multires/wms?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS
• aspect: https://geoserver.imas.utas.edu.au/geoserver/bathy_composites/AusEEZ_bathy_aspect_composite_multires/wms?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS
• aspect-slope (for mapping applications only): https://geoserver.imas.utas.edu.au/geoserver/bathy_composites/AusEEZ_bathy_aspectSlope_composite_multires/wms?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS
Data is available for download in the following packages (each structured as 8x mosaics for each Ecosystem Zone at the gridding resolution specified above): (1) bathymetry composites; (2) hillshade composites; (3) slope composites; (4) aspect composites.
An ancillary Shapefile footprint index file is also available showing the source data used in generating each region of the mosaics.
Note that minimal cleaning of input data was conducted, and no attempt was made to smooth or blend the transitions between swath edges, or between swaths and the underlying DEMs. Consequently, noise and edge effects between adjacent input data may be visible. This should be considered when interpreting the data, and the data should not be used for navigational purposes.
See the Lineage section of this record for full methodology.
